1. Mental Maths!
Maths that’s mental!

2. There are 15 apples in a bowl. If I eat 3, how many are left?
If I share what’s left equally with a friend, how many do I get?...
If my friend gives 3 back to me, how many do I have?

3. 12 children get a lolly from a jar. There are only 4 left
12 children get a lolly from a jar. There are only 4 left. How many lollies were in the jar to start with?
Mum buys some more lollies. There are now 10 in the jar. How many did she buy?
If I keep 2 for myself how many friends can I now give a lolly to?

4. Mum bought 3 sweets. They were 5p each. How much did she spend?
How much would she need to buy 5 sweets?
If she bought 5 sweets how much change would she get from 50p?

5. 10 passengers are on a bus. 5 more get on. How many are there now?
How many are there if 7 get off?
How many if 5 get on at the next stop?

6. Share 9 marbles equally between 3 children. How many do they get each?
Share 12 marbles equally between 3 children. How many each do they get?
Share 15 marbles equally between 3 children. How many now?

7. If there are 26 children in our class and 8 are away, how many bottles of milk would we need?
If half the class did not drink their milk, how many bottles would we have left?
From the bottles we have left, 4 go sour. How many good bottles remain?

8. If I have 30 cakes at my party, and 20 are left at the end, how many were eaten?
If I cut all the left over cakes in half, how many halves will I have?
If I eat 10 half pieces, how many half pieces remain?

9. Mr Page had a box of 40 pencils. He gave one to each child in his class. There were 12 left in the box. How many children are in his class?
He gave half of the remaining pencils to another class. How many are left now?
He gave 9 more away as prizes. How many were left in the box?

10. Daniel got 24 presents from friends at his birthday party
Daniel got 24 presents from friends at his birthday party. Mum and Dad gave him 6 more. How many presents did he get altogether?
He only opened half of them at the party. How many were still wrapped up?
He opened a further ten before he went to bed. How many were left until the next day?

11. There are 5 apples, 10 bananas and 7 pears in a basket
There are 5 apples, 10 bananas and 7 pears in a basket. How many pieces of fruit are there in total?
Half of the fruit is rotten and has to be thrown away. How many pieces are left?
There are no apples left and just 3 pears. How many bananas are left?

12. How many road wheels are there on 3 cars?
How about 4 cars?...
How about 5 cars?

13. There are six eggs in a box. How many eggs are there in two boxes ?
How about 3 boxes?...
How about 4 boxes?

14. A dozen eggs means 12 eggs. What is half a dozen?
What is 2 dozen?...
How many eggs are 3 dozen?

15. A spider has 8 legs. How many legs do 2 spiders have in total?
What about 3 spiders?...
What about 4 spiders?

16. How many toes are there on a pair of feet?
What about 2 pairs?...
What about 3 pairs?

17. A robot needs 4 batteries. How many batteries do 3 robots need?
What about 5 robots?

18. If it’s 5 o’ clock now, what time was it 3 hours ago?
What time will it be in 4 hours?...
How about in 7 hours?

19. If it’s 8 o’ clock now, what time was it 24 hours ago?
What time will it be in 24 hours?...
How many hours in two days?

20. Imran spent 50p on a drink. He used a £1 coin
Imran spent 50p on a drink. He used a £1 coin. How much change did he get?
With his change he gave his brother 15p. How much is left?...
How much more does he need to buy sweets costing 40p?

21. I have 15p in 5p coins. How many coins do I have?
I save up and have seven 5p coins. How much money do I have?...
How much money will I have if I can save up nine 5p coins?

22. A farmer has 4 sheep, 8 cows and 2 chickens
A farmer has 4 sheep, 8 cows and 2 chickens. How many animals has he got?
How many legs do the sheep have altogether?...
How many legs do the cows have in total?

23. If today is Wednesday, what day will it be in 5 days’ time?
What day was it 4 days ago?...
I’m going on holiday in 12 days. What day will I leave?

24. Today is May 9th. What will the date be in 6 days?
What was the date 7 days ago?...
What will the date be 10 days from yesterday?

25. A toy box had 12 dinosaurs in it. Half the dinosaurs were green
A toy box had 12 dinosaurs in it. Half the dinosaurs were green. How many were not green?
Half of the green ones had horns. How many green ones had horns?...
Half of the non green ones had horns. How many dinosaurs had horns in total?

26. A tricycle has 3 wheels. How many wheels on three tricycles?
How many wheels on 5 tricycles?...
How many wheels altogether on 4 tricycles and 1 bicycle?

27. There are 16 ducks and 5 swans on a lake
There are 16 ducks and 5 swans on a lake. How many birds are there altogether?
5 ducks leave. How many now?...
4 more ducks leave and 2 new swans arrive. How many now?

28. A kitten weighs 100 grams at birth
A kitten weighs 100 grams at birth. 2 weeks later, it has gained 15 grams. What is the new weight?
2 weeks later, it has gained another 15 grams. What does it weigh?...
A week later, it weighs 137 grams. What did it gain that week?

29. Georgia cuts 12cm off a piece of ribbon. It is now 88cm long
Georgia cuts 12cm off a piece of ribbon. It is now 88cm long. What did it measure at the start?
She then cuts it in half.
What does each half measure?...
She wants a piece that is 35cm long. What must she trim off to get this?

30. Haider bought a can of pop. He paid 28p and used 4 coins
Haider bought a can of pop. He paid 28p and used 4 coins. What were the coins?
He buys a chocolate bar costing 17p. He pays using 3 coins. Which coins?...
How much did he spend all together?

31. Lunchtime is 30 minutes long. It ends at 1. 00pm
Lunchtime is 30 minutes long. It ends at 1.00pm. What time does it start?
A business man has a meeting at 2.00pm. How long after lunch time ends must he wait?...
His meeting starts on time and lasts 1 hour 15 minutes. When does it finish?

32. A kite costs £1.25. How much will 2 cost?
How much for 8 kites?

33. How many corners do 2 squares have?
How many corners do 2 squares and 2 triangles have?...
How about 3 squares and 3 triangles?

34. How many sides does a pentagon have?
How many sides does a pentagon and a hexagon have between them?...
How about a pentagon and 2 hexagons?

35. Add up the corners on a triangle, a square, a pentagon and a hexagon.
Now try 2 triangles take away 1 hexagon...
How about 2 hexagons add 1 triangle take away a pentagon?

36. Each hot dog has 2 sausages
Each hot dog has 2 sausages. How many sausages will I need for 7 hot dogs?
How many hot dogs can I make with 20 sausages?...
If each person eats 1 hot dog, how many sausages will I need to feed 9 people?

37. I have 3 monkeys and I buy 12 bananas
I have 3 monkeys and I buy 12 bananas. How many bananas will each monkey get?
If I buy 15 bananas, how many will each monkey get?...
How many bananas must I buy to give 9 to each monkey?

38. In Mr Page’s class there are 26 children. 14 have black hair
In Mr Page’s class there are 26 children. 14 have black hair. How many do not have black hair?
8 children have brown hair and 2 have blonde hair. How many children do not have brown or blonde hair?...
How many children do not have black hair or blonde hair?...

39. On a sheet there are 20 stickers. Mr Page has 100 stickers
On a sheet there are 20 stickers. Mr Page has 100 stickers. How many sheets is that?
How many stickers are there on 3 sheets?...
Mr Page gives out 26 stickers. This uses all of the stickers from one sheet. How many are left on the second sheet?...

40. There are 11 players on a football team
There are 11 players on a football team. How many players in a football match?
During the first half 3 players are sent off. How many are left on the field?...
The stadium holds 20,000 spectators, but is only half full. How many spectators are there?...

41. A toy car costs £2. 50. A toy aeroplane costs £1. 50 more
A toy car costs £2.50. A toy aeroplane costs £1.50 more. How much is the aeroplane?
A toy boat is £1 cheaper than the aeroplane. How much is it?...
How much would all three cost to buy?

42. There are 18 mittens in the cloakroom. How many pairs is that?
Three children lose their mittens. How many mittens are left?...
The mittens are 50p each. How much will it cost to replace the lost mittens?

43. The farmer’s chickens lay 5 eggs a day
The farmer’s chickens lay 5 eggs a day. How many eggs will he have in a week?
How many eggs will he have after 2 weeks?...
How many eggs will the chickens lay in 1 month?

44. Mum says you have to go to bed at 7 o’clock. You have 45 minutes left
Mum says you have to go to bed at 7 o’clock. You have 45 minutes left. What time is it?
It takes 10 minutes to clean your teeth and put on your pyjamas. What time do you get into bed?...
Mum reads for twenty minutes before saying goodnight. What time is it now?

45. Mr Page has 12 History books and 14 Science books
Mr Page has 12 History books and 14 Science books. How many books is that?
He gives away half of his History books. How many books does he have left?...
He gives half of his Science books away. How many books does he have now?

46. How many 2 pence coins make 20 pence?

47. A rabbit ate 4 carrots on Monday, 7 carrots on Tuesday and 6 carrots on Wednesday. How many carrots was that?
He ate 5 carrots on Thursday and 4 more on Friday. How many has he eaten in total so far?...
He eats 3 on Saturday and 8 on Sunday. How many carrots did the rabbit eat that week?

48. All of the children in Class 4 need 6 beads to make a bracelet
All of the children in Class 4 need 6 beads to make a bracelet. There are 3 children in Mrs Freeman’s group. How many beads will they need in total?
There are 5 children in Mrs Ahmed’s group. How many do they need?...
Mrs Bates has 6 children. How many beads will they need?

49. You have been saving 10 pence coins
You have been saving 10 pence coins. How many will you need to buy a comic costing 80 pence?
How many to buy a magazine costing £1.20?...
How many to buy the comic and the magazine?

50. Ima has 12 crayons. Adi has 17. What is the difference?
How many crayons do they have altogether?...
Adi loses 6 crayons. How many do they now have altogether?

51. Yvette spends 1 hour on a train and then 30 minutes on a bus
Yvette spends 1 hour on a train and then 30 minutes on a bus. How long was her journey?
She began her journey at 10 o’ clock. What time did she finish?...
She read a book for half of the time. How long did she spend reading?

52. A bag holds 10 green marbles, 8 red marbles and 6 blue marbles
A bag holds 10 green marbles, 8 red marbles and 6 blue marbles. How many marbles are in the bag?
How many red and blue marbles are there?...
You lose 3 green marbles. How many marbles are left in total?

53. How many sides are there on 2 squares?...
The sides of a square measure 4cm. What is the perimeter of the square?
4cm
How many sides are there on 2 squares?...
What is the total perimeter of the two squares?

54. A bowl holds 7 litres of water
A bowl holds 7 litres of water. If I spill 3 litres, how many litres are left?
If the bowl is only half full, how many litres does it hold?...
How many litres are in 3 bowls?

55. A tank of tropical fish contains 3 large fish and 17 smaller fish
A tank of tropical fish contains 3 large fish and 17 smaller fish. How many fish in total?
You buy 6 new fish. How many fish are there now?...
One of the fish has ten babies, but three of them die. How many fish in total now?

56. Mr Page drives 25 miles to get to school
Mr Page drives 25 miles to get to school. How many miles does he drive each day?
How many miles does he drive in two days?...
How many miles to and from school does Mr Page drive in a week?

57. Mrs Ahmed does 5 sums every day. How many sums does she do in 1 week?
Thursday was a training day and the children were not in school. How many sums did the children do that week?...
How many sums does Mrs Ahmed usually do in one month?

58. Each flower has 5 petals. How many petals are there on 2 flowers?
If there are 15 petals, how many flowers must there be?...
How many petals are there in a bunch of 10 flowers?

59. How many bunches of 4 can be made from 8 flowers?

60. A wedding cake has 2 layers
A wedding cake has 2 layers. If each layer is cut into 4 pieces, how many guests will get a slice?
How about if each layer is cut into 8 pieces?...
How many guests get a slice of cake if each layer is cut into 16 pieces?

61. There are 30 sandwiches to be arranged equally on 3 trays
There are 30 sandwiches to be arranged equally on 3 trays. How many sandwiches on each tray?
You decide to put the sandwiches equally on 10 trays instead. How many on each tray now?...
If you had 6 trays, how many sandwiches would go equally on each tray?

62. At your birthday party, Dad has planned 6 games
At your birthday party, Dad has planned 6 games. If there are 2 prizes for each game, how many prizes will be given out?
Dad decides to give out 3 prizes for each game how many more prizes does he need to get?...
Dad decides on 4 prizes for each game. How many prizes in total does he need?

63. Georgia’s Judo club holds a competition
Georgia’s Judo club holds a competition. All of the 20 competitors receive a medal for taking part, but the top 4 get an extra medal. How many medals is that?
Half of the medals go to boys. How many medals go to girls?...
A third of the medals go to children who are orange belts or higher. How many medals is that?

64. David gets up at 7 o’clock
David gets up at 7 o’clock. At 8 o’clock he’s ready to leave the house and catch the school bus. How long did it take him to get ready?
The bus takes 20 minutes to get to his school. What time does it arrive there if it left his house at 10 past 8?...
Lessons start at 8.50 am. How long has David been out of bed when lessons start?

65. Shakeel’s favourite television programme is ‘Big Time Rush’
Shakeel’s favourite television programme is ‘Big Time Rush’. It starts in 30 minutes. If the time now is quarter past 4, what time will it start?
The programme lasts 30 minutes. What time will it end?...
He watches it everyday from Monday to Friday. How long does he spend watching it?

66. A packet of sweets costs 40p
A packet of sweets costs 40p. If you pay with a £1 coin, how much change will you be given?
You decide to have a drink as well. The drink costs 45p. How much do you have left?...
When you are given the change, you have three coins. What must the coins be?

67. What do these 2D shapes have in common?
How many sides do these quadrilaterals have in total?...
If you count the sides and corners and halve the result, what do you have?

68. Can you name this 3D shape?
How many faces does a cube have?...
How many faces do 5 cubes have?

69. What is the difference between a square and a rectangle?
If I have 2 rectangles and 1 square, how many sides is that?...
If I have 3 rectangles and 2 squares, how many corners will there be?

70. What is the difference between a cube and a cuboid?
How many faces are there on a cube and a cuboid?...
How many faces are there on 2 squares and 1 cuboid in total?

71. Add up the sides on a pentagon and a hexagon. How many are there?
Add up the sides on a pentagon and a heptagon. How many?...
Add up the sides on a pentagon, a hexagon and a heptagon. How many?

72. What number is 10 after 33?
What number is 11 before 33?...
What number is 50 after 33?

73. 28 children go camping. They sleep 2 to each tent
28 children go camping. They sleep 2 to each tent. How many tents are there?
Half the tents are yellow and half red. How many red tents are there?...
8 children go home, taking their tents with them. How many tents are still standing?

74. Buddy the dog eats 2 tins of dog food every day
Buddy the dog eats 2 tins of dog food every day. How many tins is that in 7 days?
If each tin costs 50p, how much does it cost to feed Buddy each week?...
How much does it cost to feed Buddy each month?

75. There are 24 children in Mr Islam’s class
There are 24 children in Mr Islam’s class. The mini bus only holds 8 children. How many trips will he need to make to get the whole class to the park?
It is 5 minutes there, and 5 back. How long will it take to do that 3 times?...
The park is 1 mile away. How far will the minibus travel to take all of the children there and back again?

76. There are 100 people at a concert. 63 of them are male
There are 100 people at a concert. 63 of them are male. How many are female?
The concert starts at 8 o’clock and lasts 65 minutes. What time does it end?...
The band come back on for a 15 minute encore. What time do they finish?

77. It takes 50 Lego bricks to build a house. Isla builds 3 houses
It takes 50 Lego bricks to build a house. Isla builds 3 houses. How many bricks did she use?
She adds a chimney to each house using another 15 bricks. How many bricks are in each chimney?...
How many bricks did it take altogether?

78. To mix a pot of paint it takes three cups of water to one cup of powder paint. How many cups of water do you need for 2 pots of paint?
How many cups of water for 3 pots of paint?...
You make 8 pots of paint. How much water did you use?

79. If a Happy Meal costs £1.99 and you buy two, how much will you spend?
If you pay with a £5 note, how much change will you be given?...
How much will 5 Happy Meals cost?

80. The local swimming pool closes for repairs on October 1st
The local swimming pool closes for repairs on October 1st. It reopens on October 21st. For how many weeks was it closed?
The pool is 25 metres long. How many lengths will you need to swim to achieve your 100 metres badge?...
Someone swims 10 lengths. How far in metres did they swim?

81. It took Maisie 45 minutes to write a story
It took Maisie 45 minutes to write a story. She finished just in time for lunch at What time did she start writing?
Lunch lasted 1 hour, then Maisie did P.E. until 2 o’clock. How long did P.E. last?...
Maisie went home 2 hours after lunch finished. What time was that?

82. Last year 35 children joined the school choir
Last year 35 children joined the school choir. This year there were twice as many.
How many joined this year?
If twice as many join next year, how many will be in the choir?...
If 46 of the children in this year’s choir are girls, how many are boys?

83. A sack of potatoes weighs 5kg. What do 4 bags weigh?
You buy 35kg of potatoes. How many bags is that?

84. A baby weighs 3kg at birth. He gains 200gms per week
A baby weighs 3kg at birth. He gains 200gms per week. What does he weigh after 2 weeks?
What does the baby weigh after 3 weeks?...
How many weeks old will the baby be when he weighs 4kg?

85. I sent 4 parcels to my brother in Canada. One weighed 1kg
I sent 4 parcels to my brother in Canada. One weighed 1kg. The other 3 weighed 500gms each. What was the total weight?
It cost £1 for every kg to post. What did it cost to send all 4 parcels?...
To send the parcels First Class was going to cost £3.50 extra. How much would it cost?

86. Each bag of sweets weighs 20gms. How many bags will weigh 100gms?
The bags cost 30 pence each. How much would 100gms worth cost you?...
You spend £2.10. How many bags did you buy?

87. To bake a cake, Aunty Millie needs 500 grams of flour, 250 grams of butter and 100 grams of sugar. What do the ingredients weigh so far?
She then adds 4 eggs which weigh 150 grams. What is the total weight?...
She then bakes the cake for 80 minutes. It is ready at 2 o’ clock. When did she put it in the oven?

88. The post woman delivers a letter to the house that is 4 doors up from number 12 on the even side of the road. Which house is it?
She then takes a parcel to the house 4 doors down from number 22. Which house is it?...
She then crosses to the opposite side of the road and takes a parcel to the house 7 doors down from number 19. Which house is that?

89. My brother can run twice as fast as me
My brother can run twice as fast as me. I can run to the shops in 1 minute. How long does it take him?
He can run around the park in 2 minutes 20 seconds. How long does it take me?...
If he can run to school in 3 minutes 26 seconds, how long will it take me?

90. 24 dads and 36 mums are waiting outside the school
24 dads and 36 mums are waiting outside the school. How many parents are there altogether?
20 of the mums have a pushchair with them. How many don’t have a pushchair?...
One third of the dads have driven to the school. How many did not drive?

91. A couple go out to dinner and agree to pay half each when the bill comes. The meal is £ How much did each have to pay?
They agree to leave a £3 tip. They pay half each again. How much do they leave?...
How much did the lady pay for her meal including the tip?

92. I decide to make a fruit cocktail
I decide to make a fruit cocktail. I use 250ml of apple juice, 250ml of pineapple juice and 200 ml of grapefruit juice. How much juice did I make.
How much strawberry juice should I add to take it to 1 litre?...
It is so tasty, I decide to make three times as much the next day. How much of each ingredient must I use?

93. I have 8 friends and I want to give them all a drink of cola
I have 8 friends and I want to give them all a drink of cola. Each cup holds ½ of a litre. How many 2 litre bottles do I need to buy?
4 more friends arrive. How many do I need to buy now?...
If 14 friends arrive, and they each have a cup, how much will be left in the last bottle?

94. It costs £1 per week for ballet lessons. How much is that every month?
How much is it per year?...
How much will it have cost after 3 years?

95. Dinner tables at Whitehall Junior School seat 6 children
Dinner tables at Whitehall Junior School seat 6 children. There are 60 children in year 5. How many tables will year 5 need ?
12 children from year 3 join them. How many tables will be filled now?...
Each school dinner costs £2. How much does it cost to feed year 3 and year 5?

96. Work out these numbers to the nearest ten. 17 28 5 36 99 76 54
Work out these numbers to the nearest hundred...
Work out these numbers to the nearest thousand.
, , , ,499

97. A book costs £1.70. If I save 50p per week, how many weeks will it take me to buy it?
A set of books from the same author would take me 12 weeks to save for. How much do you think the set might be?
Everything this author has ever written would cost £26. How long will I have to save if I want to buy them?

98. What is 0.5 as a fraction? What is ¾ as a decimal?
What is one fifth of a hundred?

99. If a car drives at 30 mph how far will it travel in 2 hours?
Another car travels the same distance but drives at 60 mph. How long does it take?
A car travels at 70 mph, how far will it travel in 2 ½ hours?

100. Should Mr Page consider a new line of work?
Mr Page realises he has spent 2 days putting a PowerPoint presentation together. How many hours is that?
Should Mr Page consider a new line of work?
Will Mr Page’s wife leave him?